


Against Hope

by tauri



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Community: 31_days, Gen, and like the whole Team Flare plot thing, mentions of killing/death/suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:17:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8809318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tauri/pseuds/tauri
Summary: Lysandre details the plan for Malva; he gives her an option, but to her, it's like no option at all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> 31_days challenge: 20-11-2016 - "I would rather die of passion than of boredom".

The first call from Lysandre came through as Malva sat in her car, idling in traffic; from tapping the steering wheel in irritation to immediate focus, she pushed the button to broadcast the call within the vehicle.

"... Greetings, Malva, I hope that you're doing well. Regarding our research - I believe there are two paths, ultimately, that we could choose to follow. I'm sending you the information as we speak. Are you able to look it over?"

"I'm driving at the moment. I'm on my way back, though. If you felt like giving me a contact number, then I could just let you know when I do that, but..."

The sentiment caused a chuckle. "It may be that such things are better discussed face-to-face. You know where to find me, if you need me."

"Right." The thought occurred that _some of us have day jobs and careers we can't just drop everything for_ , but wording it seemed pointless. Malva had known Lysandre for long enough that she knew trying to express thoughts of balance would be a waste of time; this was _the plan_ , after all. Still in its early stages, but even from the start, Lysandre had impressed the importance of it on those he trusted with the information - of which Malva was one, and she knew that she couldn't be sure of just how many others were out there.

She had met with Lysandre before, of course. As a leading entrepreneur of the Kalos region, his name had come up frequently in the news and in requests for articles. He had a commanding presence for television, and he interviewed well - all of the things that made Malva's job that bit easier. (And then there was _this_. Most had written off his frequent speeches at private gatherings as the lofty blue-sky thinking of a person who merely wanted to fill the silence, but Malva had found herself intrigued. That intrigue had led to trust, had led to _this_. She saw her phone flash with the notification of a sent message; her heart skipped a beat on knowing that _those were the plans_.

 _We're really doing this._ )

"Do you have any further questions? I won't take up more of your time than is necessary."

"Oh, no, no, it's fine. So I guess you'll be at the cafe again on the usual days, right?"

"I'll let you know if my schedule changes, but that should be correct for the time being, yes."

"Okay. I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to look through the materials. Are we working to any sort of time constraints, here?"

"You can take your time. Isn't there a saying - _you can't rush perfection_?" (He gave a deep chuckle, as if he'd amused himself. Malva wondered if that was the first time she'd ever really heard him express anything like _amusement_.) "There'll be plenty of time for us to refine the detail of the plan as our research progresses. For the time being, I'd just like something of an... overview, if you will. What I'm looking for at the moment is your opinion on our two options; I've made my own calculations, but I'd like to hear yours, and those of others in the organisation. We are, after all, a team."

"Sure. Right, yes, I'll let you know."

"Of course. Enjoy your evening. And I hope you manage to escape that terrible Lumiose traffic soon." He hung up, leaving Malva with the slight curiosity of _how did you know that? Maybe the ambience. It's not like it's hard to hear where I am, after all._

 

\----

 

Safe in the privacy of her own apartment, Malva poured herself a glass of wine before looking over the information that Lysandre had sent her. It was really quite outlandish - if it was anybody else then she wasn't too sure she would have believed them, but somehow, some part of her felt that if it was Lysandre then _we might just be able to do this_.

She had long since known his thoughts on the world, his lengthy late-night discussions on the state of humanity. It wasn't exactly that she disagreed, but she knew that she couldn't match him for the sheer level of conviction in his words. She admired his depth of feeling, though she knew that sort of thing was quite beyond her - he didn't have to know that, of course. He saw it as something so noble - taking on the problems of humanity, taking responsibility for the filth and depravity that humans had managed to fall into... _maybe that's what comes of being from royal stock?_ Malva liked to think that her line of thought was far simpler. Maybe more brutal. What did that matter? It was nobody else's business but hers, the things she thought when she was alone and contemplating.

For as far back as she could think, she would have described herself as being tired of life, in general. From small disappointments to larger betrayals, Malva knew that there wasn't anything or anyone you could truly rely on other than your own self. Even in this case, it was entertaining to go along with Lysandre's considerations, but there were still those thoughts in her mind - _will this work? Can you actually do this?_

 _Expect the worst, hope for the best_. She thought that expression over; 'hope', in general, seemed like a foolish and vague sentiment believed only by those without the means to grasp anything concrete to change their situation. Wasn't it stupid, to pin everything on something so intangible as ' _hope_ '? If you expected the worst, then you couldn't be surprised. If, against all odds, the plan worked out, then...? _That would definitely be a pleasant surprise._

From the looks of things, the starting point for Lysandre's research had been that of the mythical Pokémon of Kalos; any child of the region could likely parrot back the stories they were told, of a destruction Pokémon and its life-stealing power, and the natural protector who was known for its life-bringing abilities. Practically fairytales. However, Lysandre seemed to believe fully that it would be possible to summon these Pokémon, and use their abilities for the good of Kalos - and the world.

" _To be brief, our options are these: rebirth, or destruction. Through Xerneas, we have the potential to become guardians of this planet - oversee the progress of humanity, and wipe the worst of its excess from this world entirely. Through Yveltal, we can choose the path of annihilation; in this case, we would lead the world to a capacity to potentially renew itself without the threat of humanity weighing down upon it, at the expense of all those who live in this age. We, too, would be included in this. It is a sacrifice that those of Team Flare would have to be willing to make._

 _We cannot guarantee what would happen after such a sacrifice. It may be that the power of Xerneas could bring the life spirit of humans - and Pokémon - forth once more, in some manner as yet unknown to us. It may be that the destruction would be permanent, and that weight would be lifted from the world. For us to use Xerneas in order to watch over this project, we run the risk of falling foul of the same vices that are ruining this planet to begin with. We, too, are as flawed as any who threaten our perfect worldview; our only way to atone for this is to achieve what the common filth cannot. As something that is within our power, it is our responsibility to manage this situation; nobody else is going to step forth, and so, we must._ "

Every tale told of Xerneas expressed the majesty of its powers; a cycle of rebirth, constantly giving its energy for that purpose. A being of pure benevolence, living only to bring life to others. And there, of course, those that told of _eternal life_. Was that true? Was that possible? All things seemed possible when it came to Pokémon, but what did that mean for the plan? From reading that which Lysandre had sent, it seemed that those involved - of which Malva counted herself - might have the chance at immortality themselves, taking on a guiding role towards humanity in the future.

 _I can't think of anything worse_. Everything about that branch of the plan seemed far too compassionate for Malva's liking. If nothing else, _eternal life? Life without end?_ The concept of it was so huge that Malva could hardly imagine it. _Nothing can last forever, not even the universe. How far would that power work? Is that 'eternal' in terms of the planet, or...?_

They would unleash their plan upon the world, and gain immortality. From there, they would be able to rebuild humanity in their image, taking on the values and respect necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of humanity up to this point. Even just that thought seemed exhausting; how long could one walk the planet before that certain fact of _being alive_ became a weight too heavy to bear? That seemed to be a responsibility that Lysandre was willing to take upon himself, if required. Malva wondered how many other people he would ask this question to, and how many others might look upon the powers of Xerneas as being those that should be used. She opened up a document on her tablet, in preparation of her rebuttal of _that_ idea.

_It isn't possible to save humanity. You said it yourself - we, too, own that sin. Therefore--_

Again, Malva wasn't sure that she believed such things, but it didn't hurt to use Lysandre's words against him. If it came to that choice, more than anything, Malva felt that Yveltal was the Pokémon that should be used in the context of the plan. Destroy everything. Kill them all. Silence the world. _Fuck everything_.

She very rarely expressed her opinions on such things to anybody, but sometimes, at those awfully tedious work events, she would test the waters. Late at night, once enough alcohol had been imbibed. She had gently broached the topic with enough people to come to the conclusion that her line of thought was somewhat uncommon. In general, people seemed to _like_ being alive. It wasn't that she hated it, but the thought of ending it seemed so peaceful, somehow. She wouldn't have called herself suicidal - it was more of an aspiration than it was desperation. It didn't have to be her, either; there were a lot of annoying people out there. Maybe life would be more peaceful without _certain people_ in it. Maybe this plan with Lysandre would be a way to get away with that.

 _We're all going to die anyway, so why not take charge of that?_ Expressed like that, it seemed quite exciting. No human alive had had a choice in being brought into the world, and the fact that the opposite was also true was something that Malva felt people were far too happy to ignore. Would it be violence, injury, illness, stupidity? Old age, perhaps. Nothing pleasant. Some would take matters into their own hands, but that still carried those elements. _And with Yveltal...?_ The concept of the weapon was something so powerful that it could destroy humanity in an instant. So much pain and suffering that could be avoided; so, too, would the potential for life disappear - _but that's no great loss_ , Malva thought.

Lysandre's aims were so noble, it almost made her sick. In comparison, she knew that her own were petty and vengeful, but so what? There wasn't a person alive who wouldn't fall into selfishness, if pushed hard enough. That level differed for everyone; _maybe I was just unlucky_ , she thought to herself. _Stuck growing up alongside people with such a low threshold for that kind of behaviour_. It didn't change, though; children were selfish because they didn't know any better, and adults were selfish because they were confident enough to think they could get away with it. From childhood to adolescence to entering the working world, Malva had found herself constantly disgusted by the behaviour of those around her. _Isn't that normal, though? Surely anybody would find this tiresome?_ It surprised her that that didn't seem to be the case.

 _But of course - you think you can get away with it, so it isn't your problem_. The thought of those business contacts laughing at her and those silly little nihilist ideas of hers made her blood boil just to think of it. _Too used to getting their own way to even imagine the concept that they might ever not_. And Team Flare could get rid of them, could get rid of them all. In one fell swoop, that casual malevolence would be gone from the world. It was worth sacrificing her own life to know that she'd been one of the ones to contribute towards that in the first place. They wouldn't have a choice. They wouldn't have control. They wouldn't know what was happening, and then it would be over, and the universe could forget that such disgusting creatures had ever had the audacity to exist and flourish.

" _As you are aware, there was a time in the past where a similar endeavour was attempted. They failed, for certain reasons; we shall work on that failure, and succeed. Entertaining otherwise is simply not an option._ "

To Malva, this wasn't a choice. How could it ever be? Only Yveltal would be required for the plan. They only needed to rely on _that_ power. Why would anybody ever want otherwise? Malva couldn't understand it. ( _And besides_ , she thought, downing the last of her glass of wine, _it's not up to them_.)


End file.
